When a blackout swept across San Diego County last month, Bruce Haupt was more than ready.

“I was the only house in the area that was lit up like Las Vegas,” Haupt said.

Over the years, the retired electronics technician and emergency radio operator has transformed a modest Mira Mesa home into a model of energy efficiency that produces its own solar and geothermal power.

The 1970s-era, three-bedroom residence is connected to the electrical grid. But solar-charged batteries ensure that Haupt and his wife of 41 years can live in comfort for days on their own.

During the blackout, Haupt used his own solar-generated electricity to power home radio equipment and help county authorities assess the extent of the outage.

Through a personal website and occasional public tours, Haupt now aspires to turn his home into an educational tool for others. It includes:

• More than 80 rooftop solar panels that power his home and two plug-in cars.

• A rainwater-collection system that feeds roof runoff to a vegetable garden and fruit trees.

• A geothermal heat exchange system that cools and heats the home by circulating water through underground hoses and tanks.

Haupt estimates he has invested about $230,000 on green home improvements, including a one-room addition, after factoring in government rebates and incentives.

The U-T talked to Haupt about his clean-energy philosophy and know-how as we climbed atop a home festooned with radio antennae and solar panels.

Q: Is this kind of living within everyone’s reach?

A: I don’t expect my neighbors to go out and spend the kind of money we did on this whole thing. The initial solar installation in 2001 cost $60,000. People go, “Gasp!” But when you consider that the state of California cut me a check for $30,000 and the feds gave me another five grand, I’m only out $25,000. It was like going out and buying a car and I got free electricity for life.

Q: You installed solar panels on your home a decade ago during California’s energy crisis. What was your thinking at the time?

A: We were having these rolling blackouts. And I said, “I’m going to take back control of at least something.” So now my power supply rises in the East every morning and I run my house off of fusion power.

Q: What else motivated your home-energy makeover?

A: I’d say my main motivation is disaster preparedness and being able to generate my own power and have my own reliable two-way radio communications.

Q: Where do you get your information and ideas for home projects?

A: I immersed myself in Home Power magazine. I’ve taken classes and use the library at the California Center for Sustainable Energy. We attended SolFest in Hopland at the Solar Living Institute outside Ukiah. Another important resource is the Real Goods Solar Living Source Book.

Q: Where should a beginner start when it comes to energy efficiency and solar power?

A: They should start by logging their daily kilowatt consumption of electricity, then go after phantom loads (appliances that use energy even when turned off). There’s a rule of thumb that says for every dollar you save for conservation inside the house you will save $7 of hardware on rooftop solar that you don’t have to put in.

I also recommend a home inspection that pressure tests for air leaks and uses thermal imaging cameras to detect gaps in insulation. I think this house was originally put together at 20 paces with a pitchfork. You could literally see the spaces in the walls where they said, “Oh, don’t bother throwing any insulation in there.”

Q: What’s next?

A: An atmospheric water generator to condense and collect water for drinking, faucets and showers.